Big chunk of something in clear coat...first paint job

[schlitz]

I just finished painting my Sportster tank and rear fender with HOK basecoat and UFC35 Clear, and overall I'm pretty pleased with it, considering this is my first real paint job other than spray-bombing. There are plenty of mistakes, or should I say learning experiences, but I think when it's all back together it'll look great from more than a few feet away. Part of the paint job is gunmetal/silver flake, so my first round of clear had to go on pretty thick to bury the flake. It actually looked GREAT after the first round, the non-flaked areas probably could have just been buffed and call it a day. But I HAD to wetsand to knock down the texture of the flake. I waited 48 hrs, then wetsanded with 800 grit, which went fine, then I flowcoated 3 more coats of clear. Came out a few minutes later to find a BIG CHUNK OF SOMETHING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOP OF THE TANK! UGH!! I fought the urge to try to remove it and just left it. I realize I'm never going to make this blemish perfect, but I'm hoping someone can give me some tips on the best way to deal with this. I'm figuring that since there's probably quite a bit of clear under the chunk, it should be pretty high up in the finish. Hoping I can knock it down to maybe a discoloration or divot, or at best, just a low spot in the clear. I'm just not sure how to approach this and any guidance is greatly appreciated. I'm chalking it all up to learning experiences, so I know it'll never be perfect. I'll probably just end up doing it again in a year or so anyhow. Thanks in advance!! Paint color here is HOK Black Pearl base. The chunk is approximately in the center of the frame in the photo.

 

[TAZ]

It sounds like it happened after the second clearing which is a good thing. I
would suggest sanding this out. But the key here is not to make a divot like you said.
You should just keep your hand flat and keep sanding until its out. You could use a 'soft' sanding block if this helps you out.
I would suggest using 1500 grit to do this. You may start with 1000 grit and sand until the spot is almost gone, then switch to 1500. The 1500 scratches will be easier to get out.

The key here again is not to create a divot - so you need to be extra careful on sanding this area.

 

[schlitz]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it definitely fell towards the end of the second round of clear. I picked at it this morning just a bit and it was soft, a small bit of it came off easily. I'm thinking it may be a tiny fragment of grass...I mowed the lawn this past Saturday, and I may have picked this up on my paint suit while sitting at the picnic table waiting for the clear to flash. That's my best guess, at least. Live and learn, right? It did make a nice little circular spot around the chunk...not much larger than the chunk itself, so about 1/8" around.

I'm going to wetsand the spot with 1000, then 1500, then 2000. How long should I wait to sand? My garage was at 70 degrees while I was painting and for a few hours afterwards, but I'm guessing the garage has been in the upper 50s-low 60s since. It's rainy and cool today, so the tank probably won't be seeing any sun any time soon. Thinking I may as well color sand the whole thing as long as I'm at it to get rid of the tiny bit of orange peel that formed on the sides of the tank. The top is glass smooth...except for the chunk and a few other much, much smaller specs of dust. Like I said, I had to lay down a lot of clear to initially bury the flake, probably 6-7 medium to medium-wet coats. As a new painter, I think I tend to err on the light side with my coats...which in this case worked out well as I didn't have a single run in the entire job. For the second round of clear, after wetsanding I did another medium coat and 2-3 medium-wet coats...so there should be plenty of clear on there to work with, no?

 

[TAZ]

You 'should' be all right to go ahead and sand now.
Hope this works out for you....dang piece of grass, why didn't it land on the bottom of the tank....never fails
duh

good luck

 

[schlitz]

Thanks for the vote of confidence and thanks for your help so far. I haven't started sanding yet, but I plan to tonight, so it'll be about 48hrs since the last clear was sprayed.

As a total noob to all this, I was hoping you (or someone) could kind of walk me through the cutting/buffing process. As I said above, I'm going to wetsand with 1000, then 1500, then 2000. I'm going to pick up a 6" DA buffer from Harbor Freight this weekend. While I don't normally endorse their power tools, for as infrequently as I plan to use this, I think it'll suit me just fine. Reviews online seem generally good for non-professional, occasional use. I'll pick up the three pads they offer (hard/med/soft) as well. I'm just not sure what compounds/polishes/glazes/etc to use and when. I actually have an almost full bottle of 3M Perfect-It II rubbing compound from a paint job I was going to buff out...15 years ago! Does the stuff go bad? It's still liquid and doesn't seem separated at all. Can I use this for any of the steps I'll be doing? If anyone can kind of outline the steps after I have it sanded with 2000, I would sure appreciate it. I've watched tons of videos online and everyone does it a little different and uses different products. It's a bit confusing. I just don't want to screw up my new finish. One more thing--I am kind of on a budget, so I'd rather not have to spend a ton of money on compounds and polishes. Thanks again!!! This forum rocks!!